Accounting machine



Jan. 20, 1942. w, A AND ON 2,270,614

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN'VENTOR WALTERA. ANDERSON BY W4 ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1942. w. A. ANDERSON Q 2,270,614

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3/ INVENTOR IWALTER ,4 ANDERSON BY [i ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 20, 1942 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE ACCOUNTING MACHINE Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn.,assignor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Application December 29, 1939, Serial No.311,576

1 Claim.

This invention relates to accounting machines having a traveling papercarriage, and more particularly to the mechanism on the carriage forcontrolling the various functions of the machine in the several columnarpositions of the paper carriage. The invention as illustrated, isapplied to a machine such as disclosed in Patent No. 2,194,270, issuedto Oscar J. Sundstrand on March 19, 1940, and my pending applicationSerial No. 92,164, filed July 23, 1936, and is an improvement over thestructure disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 182,680, filedDecember 31, 1937.

In machines of this type it is often desirable to alter the character ofthe operation performed under the control of the carriage, in one ormore of the columnar positions. Where this alteration is required forany considerable time, it has been found desirable to employ a manuallyoperable latch to enable or disable certain of the controls in thedesired columnar positions.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a manuallyoperated latch mechanism, and one which may be readily adjusted andwhich will be simple to manufacture.

With this and incidental objects in View, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, theessential elements of which are set forth in appended claim, and apreferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter described withreference to the drawings which accompany and form part ofthespecification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a right side elevation of an accounting machine embodyingthe present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective View showing a magazine slide in the positionto which it is operated by a cam situated behind the carriage,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the magazine slide inits normal position, and

Figure 4 is a left side elevation of the magazine showing the magazineslide in the position to which it is moved manually by the operator.

Referring to Figure 1, the accounting machine generally indicated at Ihas a traveling carriage generally indicated at 2, carrying a controlplate 3 (see also Figure 2) having secured thereon control magazinessuch as 4. Each magazine may carry control lugs 5 having pins 6extending in cam slots I in a slide 8 mounted at H and I2 on magazine 4for sliding movement forwardly and rearwardly of the machine. A springl3, connected to the magazine and to the slide, tends to pull the slideto its normal rear position. A cam surface I4 on one end of slide 8 liesin the horizontal plane of a stud I5 on an arm I6 pivoted at IT. A camI8 is mounted on studs 2| and 22 (Figure l) for vertical movement on themachine frame. An extension 23 on one end of slide 8 is guided by a slotin an end plate 24 secured to magazine 4 by a nut 25. A'lever 26 (Figure1), operable from the keyboard through connections 21 and 28, moves camI8 to either its upper or lower position of adjustment. If desired, asecond slide 3| similar to slide 8 except that it does not have a camsurface I4 thereon, may be similarly mounted on the opposite side ofmagazine 4. This slide may likewise control movement of certain of thecontrol lugs 5 other than those controlled by slide 8, and has anextension 32 similar to but at a higher elevation than extension 23. Amovable arm 33 pivoted at 34 on slide 8 may be swung to effectiveposition, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, where it lies behind an arm 35 onslide 3|, so that operation of slide 8 may also operate slide 3|. Arm.33 may be swung upwardly about pivot 34 out of engagement with arm 35 torender slides 8 and 3| independently operable.

Assuming that arm 33 is in effective position, when lever 26 is in theposition shown in Figure 1, cam I8 is in its lower position where it isin the path of extension 23 on slide 8, so that when the carriagetabulates to the position where lugs 5 in the magazine underconsideration are effective, slides 8 and 3| are moved to the right asseen in Figure 2. This movement of slides 8 and 3| raises all of thelugs 5 to ineffective position through the operation ,of cam slot I, andmoves cam surface I4 of slide 8 in position to depress stud I5 and leverI6 as it moves over the stud. Depression of lever |6 causes the machineto tabulate through this columnar position, and, since the control lugs5 are held ineffective at this time, this particular magazine has nocontrolling eifect. However, when lever 26 is moved to its forwardposition (shown in dotted lines in Figure 1) cam I8 is raised to theposition shown in Figure 3, where it is in the path of extension 32 andabove the path of extension 23. Now, when the magazine comes to itseffective position with cam I8 in its raised position, extension 23passes under cam I8 and slide 8 remains in its left hand position shownin Figure 3. In this position, cam surface I4 does not contact stud I5,allowing the carriage to stop in this position. Slide 3| alone is movedto the right to render ineffective only those control lugs 5 operable bythis slide. As shown in Figure 3, when slide 8 is in its left handposition, lugs 5 controlled thereby remain in effective position.

It has been found desirable, at times, to have rendered ineffective notonly the magazines having their slide extensions in the horizontal planeof cam 18, but one or more other magazines having their slide extensionsin the other plane. It is, therefore, desirable that the operator beable to render t se magazines ineffective by some means other han camI8. The following mechanism has therefore been provided.

Referring to Figure 2, a latch lever 36 is pivoted on a stud 3'! on anupstanding arm 38 of slide 8. A leaf spring 4| is supported by a yoke 42formed on lever 36, and by a stud 43 fixed on an extension 44 of arm 38,the spring extending into a recess in the stud. Spring 4| is bowed andnormally tensions lever 36 counter-clockwise about pivot 31, so that thelower end of a slot 45 in the lever abuts a pin 48 secured in arm 38,limiting movement of the lever in this direction. In this position, ashoulder 58 on the left end of lever 36 lies in alignment with anaperture 5| provided in guide plate 24, as shown in Figure 3. In suchposition, slide 8 may move to the left to lower lugs 5 to effectiveposition, when extension 23 moves beyond cam l8 after being engagedtherewith during tabulating movement of the carriage. The latch,therefore, does not interfere with the normal operation of the machine.

However, when the operator wishes to render inoperative one or moremagazines whose extensions 23 or 32 do not lie in the plane in which camI8 is to be located, it is only necessary for the operator to exert aslight pressure, downwardly and to the right (Figure 4), on a fingerpiece 52, provided on lever 36. This rocks the lever clockwise againstthe tension of spring 4| and moves slide 8 toward the right, raisinglugs 5 to ineffective position. When yoke 42 passes beyond the line ofcenters of studs 31 and 43, spring 4| rotates lever 36 clockwise untilthe upper end of slot 45 abuts pin 46. In this position, shoulder 5|]engages a portion of plate 24 above the upper end of aperture 51, asshown in Figure 4. The latch will remain in this position under tensionof spring 4| as long as it is desired to have the magazine remainineffective. To return the parts to their former positions, it is onlynecessary for the operator to exert a slight pressure to the left(Figure 4). Incident to this movement, spring l3 returns slide 8 to theleft to its normal position.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirablyadapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoodthat it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form ofembodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment invarious forms all coming within the scope of the claim which follows.

What is claimed is:

In an accounting machine having a traveling carriage, a magazine thereonhaving elements to control various machine functions, a slide on themagazine connected with the control elements and having a normal and anoperated position, the combination of a spring to tension the slidetoward its normal position, a latch pivoted on the slide and having anarm cooperating with a member stationary with respect to the magazine,and a finger piece, the finger piece being so located that pressurethereagainst by the operator in a direction opposite to the direction oftension of the spring to move the slide to its operated position,rotates the latch when the slide reaches its operated position, andthereby moves the arm into engagement with the stationary member, thefinger piece being so formed that, pressure may also be exerted on theopposite side thereof by the operator to remove the said arm fromcooperation with the stationary member to enable the spring to move theslide to normal position, and a spring connected to the latch to retainit in either position to which it is moved by the operator.

WALTER, A. ANDERSON.

